Method of making a durable press garment which may be conducted in the home

ABSTRACT

A durable press garment is made by cutting and assembling the garment from a cellulose fiber-containing fabric, pressing the garment to impart suitable creases thereto, supporting the garment on a form which maintains the garment&#39;&#39;s shape while spraying a liquid containing an uncured creaseproofing agent on the garment, drying the impregnated garment while on the form under normal atmospheric conditions, re-pressing the garment without curing the creaseproofing agent to eliminate any wrinkles which may have formed therein and to touch up the crease, and the heating of the garment to cure the creaseproofing agent.

United States Patent Lord [151] 3,656,246 [451 Apr. 18, 1972 [54] METHOD OF MAKING A DURABLE PRESS GARMENT WHICH MAY BE CONDUCTED IN THE HOME [72] Inventor: John Garvin Lord, Swarthmore, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Mechanical Product Development Corp.,

Norwood, Pa.

[22] Filed: May 20,1969

[21] Appl.No.: 826,277

[52] U.S.CI ..38/144, 8/11638/116,

8/115.7, 8/120, 8/1 16.4, 2/243 [51] Int. Cl ..D06m 13/54, D06m 13/40 [58] FieldofSearch ..38/144; 8/116.3,116, 115.7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,138,802 6/1964 Getchell ..8/l16.3 3,268,915 8/1966 Warnocketal. ..8/l16.3

OTHER PUBLICATIONS American Dyestuff Reporter, p. 207, March 27, 1967 Primary Examiner-George F. Lesmes Assistant Examiner-J. Cannon Attorney-Beveridge and DeGrandi [57] ABSTRACT A durable press garment is made by cutting and assembling the garment from a cellulose fiber-containing fabric, pressing the garment to impart suitable creases thereto, supporting the garment on a form which maintains the garments shape while 8 Claims, No Drawings METHOD OF MAKING A DURABLE PRESS GARMENT WHICH MAY BE CONDUCTED IN THE HOME BACKGROUND In the rapidly expanding field of durable press garments made from cellulose fiber-containing fabrics, there is presently no satisfactory method of making such garments which is adaptable for use within the home whereby the housewife can impart wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties to dresses, skirts, blouses and the like which she has made from cotton, rayon, linen and other cellulose fiber-containing fabrics. The commercially employed processes require the use of large ovens or presses which are capable of producing the high temperatures necessary to treat the garments. The size and expense of such apparatus makes it, of course, totally impractical for use by individual seamstresses or housewives in their homes.

According to one prior art process, a garrnentis produced by cutting and assembling fabric which has been pre-impregnated with a creaseproofing agent, but not cured; imparting creases to the garment made from the fabric; and then baking the garment in an oven to effect the final curing of the creaseproofing agent. This method is unsuitable for use in the home for several reasons. The treated fabrics tend to cure partially when stored for extended periods, the chemicals often give off noxious odors; the chemicals can be accidentally washed off, and the finalcuring step is performed at temperatures which are not readily attainable within the home.

Another commercial process is performed with fabrics which are impregnated and cured in the flat state at a finishing plant. However, because such fabrics cannot effectively be creased, garments which require creases cannot be made from them. Such fabrics are also difficult to sew, and excessive fullness cannot be ironed in.

It has been proposed to produce durable press garments within the home by soaking the assembled garment with a chemical solution to effect its impregnation, removing the excess chemical solution until the garment is damp, and then ironing the garment to cure the creaseproofing agent. This method is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,553. There are several practical problems which make this process undesirable. The most notable difficulty is that the ironing of the damp impregnated garment results in the release of offensive odors. Further, this particular method relies on the ironing step to effect the curing operation. The proper locations of creases are not well defined before the pressing step, and a mislocated crease may inadvertently be permanently formed in the fabric. Also, since ironing is used to eliminate wrinkles and impart the crease during the curing step, the heat of the iron will produce at least a partial curing of the fabric before the wrinkles are entirely eliminated or the crease is fully impressed. This unavoidable partial curing naturally detracts from the ultimate smoothness and crease-definition in the completed garment.

The present invention is suitable for use within the home and avoids the previously discussed disadvantages of the prior art processes. Offensive odors are eliminated or minimized. The location of creases and smoothness of the fabric is assured before the curing step, and the necessity for large, expensive equipment is eliminated.

SUMMARY Basically, this invention involves the making of a durable press garment from a cellulose-fiber containing fabric by pressing an assembled garment to impart at least one crease thereto, impregnating the garment with a liquid containing a creaseproofing agent, drying the impregnated garment without curing the creaseproofing agent, and heating the impregnated garment to cure the creaseproofing agent. This basic approach differs from the prior art by including the preimpregnation pressing step which provides an initial definition of the creases.

In conjunction with the basic concept outlined above, the invention contemplates drying the garment to a point where offensive odors will not be created by the creaseproofing agent upon pressing. The drying step :is preferably performed under normal atmospheric conditions while supporting the garment on a clothes hanger or other form which is contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment, so that the loss of creases and creation of wrinkles will be minimized during the drying step. Also, it is preferred that the impregnation be performed while supporting the garment on a form by spraying the garment with the liquid which contains the creaseproofing agent.

Another important feature of the invention involves a touch up pressing operation which is performed after the impregnated garment is dried and before the curing step. This provides a more positive definition of the creases and a further elimination of the wrinkles in the fabric.

Furthermore, the process of the invention is adapted to home use since it permits the performance of the curing step at relatively low temperatures which can be produced by relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated heating devices within the home.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As explained previously, this invention involves a method of making a durable press garment which includes the steps of pressing an assembled garment to form at least one crease therein, impregnating the garment with a liquid containing a creaseproofing agent, permitting the garment to dry and then heating the garment to cure the creaseproofing agent. Preferably, but not essentially, the process may also include one or more of the following steps:

a. The initial fabrication of the garment by cutting and sewing together suitable pieces of fabric;

b. performing the impregnating step by supporting the garment on a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment and spraying the impregnating liquid on to the garment;

c. supporting the garment on a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment while performing the drying step under normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures;

d. re-pressing the garment after the drying step and before the curing operation.

It is to be understood that when reference is made to a garment herein it is meant that the garment is formed from a cellulose fibercontaining fabric which is susceptible to treatment with a chemical creaseproofing agent. Curing of the agent on the garment imparts wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties to the garment. Examples of such fabrics are cotton, rayon, linen or the like and blends containing these fibers.

The creaseproofing agents used in conjunction with this process are commercially available and may be selected according to the fabric content and weight used in fabricating the garment. Representative creaseproofing agents are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,166,765; 3,197,790; 3,372,404; and, the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,553, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Numerous advantages occur from various steps in the process, independently of and collectively with the other steps. For example, the spraying operation permits a visual evaluation of the amount of liquid in the fabric so that excessive liquid will not be sprayed on and wasted. Spraying also eliminates the necessity of extracting excess liquid by wringing or spin drying, and the inherent disadvantages of such extraction which stem from (a) a lack of control over the amount of liquid remaining in the fabric, (b) the loss of the extracted liquid, and (c) introduction of wrinkles caused by wringing. More importantly, the spraying step permits the impregnation without significantly wrinkling the garment or distrubing its creases.

The following examples will illustrate the importance of certain steps utilized in the present process.

EXAMPLE I A cotton garment is made by cutting the pieces of fabric and assembling them by sewing. The liquid impregnant was prepared by mixing the following constituents:

1. nineteen ounces of dihydroxy dimethylol ethylene urea, a non-hydrolyzable glyoxal derivative sold under the name Permafresh 77 by Sun Chemical Company;

2. four ounces of zinc nitrate hexahydrate, a metallic salt complex containing zinc and sold under the name Catalyst X4 by Sun Chemical Company;

3. four ounces of a polyethylene emulsion, non-ionic wetting agent sold under the name Mykon SF Softener by Sun Chemical Company; and

4. water to make 1 gallon.

The garment is initially pressed to remove wrinkles and to impart creases thereto. The garment is supported on a clothes hanger and sprayed with the solution described above to fill the interstices of the fabric, but without excessive run-off.

The garment while supported on the hanger is permitted to dry at room temperature and pressure until its moisture content by weight is in the range of 3-8 percent.

The garment is removed from the hanger and is given touch up ironing with an iron having a temperature of 150-250 F which is insufficient to cure the resin to any significant extent. This post-impregnation ironing step smoothes the fabric and emphasizes the creases.

The garment is then heated to cure the creaseproofing agent, preferably by placing it in a suitable appliance providing a temperature of l50200 F. for one-half to one hour. If suitable equipment is available, this curing step may be accomplished at higher temperatures and for reduced periods of time.

The completed garment is found to have excellent smoothness and crease retention after being subjected to repeated washings in an automatic washing machine.

EXAMPLE II The process described in Example I was performed with a garment fabricated from rayon fabric. The drying step was performed to reduce the moisture content of the fabric to 5-12 percent a level sufficiently low that no offensive odors are created by the post-impregnation ironing step. The other steps of the process were performed in the manner described in Example I, and the resultant product was found to have excellent smoothness and crease retention properties.

EXAMPLE III This experiment was performed similarly to Example I, but the drying step was terminated prematurely when the fabric was still damp. Upon being re-pressed, offensive odors were given off. The smoothness of the fabric was slightly less than that produced according to Example I, but the crease retention properties were identical.

EXAMPLE IV The process of this example differs from that of Example I only in the respect that the garment is immersed in the creaseproofing impregnant while supported on a hanger, is spin extracted, air dried and then subjected to the touch-up ironing step. The garment so produced had a smoothness significantly less than that produced according to Examples I and III; however, the crease retention properties were the same.

EXAMPLE V im ortance of this invention is largely tied to the concept of 1m rally pressing the garment before impregnating it with a resin-containing solution. The particular manner in which the liquid is applied and dried and the manner of touching up the garment and then curing it are believed to be important contributing factors to the satisfactory operation of the disclosed process.

I claim:

1. The method for making a durable press garment from a cellulose fiber-containing material whereby said garment has wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties imparted thereto, comprising the steps of:

a. pressing the garment to impart a crease thereto, and supporting the garment in its pressed condition,

b. spraying the supported garment with a sufficient amount of a liquid impregnant containing all constituents for giving the garment wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties upon subsequent heating,

c. drying the impregnated garment without curing the creaseproofing agent while supporting said garment in its pressed condition, and

d. heating the supported, dried, impregnated gannent to a temperature of about F. 200 F. for a time suffcient to give the garment wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of rayon, cotton, blends containing cotton and blends containing rayon.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the drying step 0 reduces the moisture content of said garment below l2 percent by weight of the garment.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the drying step c is performed at normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures while supporting the garment from a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein between steps 0 and d, the garment is re-pressed to remove wrinkles and touch up said crease without substantially causing the impregnant to give the wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of rayon, cotton, blends containing cotton and blends containing rayon.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the drying step c reduces the moisture content of said garment below 12 percent by weight of the garment.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the drying step c is performed at normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures while supporting the garment from a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,656,246 Dated April 18, 1972 ln t fl John Garvin Lord It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said. Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 27, after "containing", insert a crease proofing agent and.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of May 1973..

Q (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JRY. I ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM 30-1050 (10.69) USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 US. GOVERNMENT PRIN ING OFFICE: 1969 0-366-334,

i i a 

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of rayon, cotton, blends containing cotton and blends containing rayon.
 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the drying step c reduces the moisture content of said garment below 12 percent by weight of the garment.
 4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the drying step c is performed at normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures while supporting the garment from a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment.
 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein, between steps c and d, the garment is re-pressed to remove wrinkles and touch up said crease without substantially causing the impregnant to give the wrinkle-resistant, crease-retentive and wash/wear properties.
 6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of rayon, cotton, blends containing cotton and blends containing rayon.
 7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the drying step c reduces the moisture content of said garment below 12 percent by weight of the garment.
 8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the drying step c is performed at normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures while supporting the garment from a form contoured to the shape of a portion of the garment. 